The Seattle Mariners dropped a very difficult game - and a very difficult series - against the underwhelming Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon at Comerica Park. 

Seattle led 4-1 in the seventh inning, but ultimately lost 5-4 thanks to bullpen meltdowns from Cooper Criswell and Andres Munoz, as well as some poor baserunning that cost them two runners in the ninth inning of a then 4-3 game.

There are questions about the baserunning and Dan Wilson's decision making, but really, the questions are mostly about Munoz.

A two-time All-Star who has helped anchor the Mariners bullpen since 2021, Munoz has had an odd year of struggles.

Under the hood, his numbers look good, with Baseball Savant noting that his fastball velocity is in the 96th percentile of all pitchers. His chase rate, whiff rate and strikeout rate are all in the 97th percentile or above. However, when he gets hit, he's getting clobbered. Add it all up and Munoz has a 3-4 record and a 5.40 ERA. He's already blown five saves, which is just one less than he had a season ago.

Even more than any numbers, Munoz appears to be suffering from a crisis of confidence. He's talked earlier in the year about needing to "find himself." Poor outings seem to snowball on him. Positive outings seem more like sighs of relief than successes.

He's now allowed runs in three of his last four outings after five consecutive scoreless outings. He's allowed runs in eight of his 25 appearances, almost 33 percent, and the patience from a frustrated fanbase is dwindling.

So what can the Mariners do?

Munoz is a two-time All-Star who has had plenty of success. Plenty of closers go through rough patches; such is life when you are dealing with small sample sizes. By the way, after his blowup against the San Diego Padres on April 15, Munoz delivered scoreless outings in five of his next six appearances. He had the aforementioned five scoreless outings from May 11-May 22, proving that he's capable of making adjustments, both physically and mentally.

The Mariners can remove Munoz from the official closer's role, despite the fact that he likes the regimented nature of knowing when he's going to pitch.

Maybe Munoz gets the ninth anyways, but this opens up the door for the likes of Jose Ferrer, Matt Brash, Gabe Speier or Eduard Bazardo. Manager Dan Wilson can play matchup-oriented mix-and-match.

Brash has electric stuff, and he has an ERA of 0.56 this season, so he has the stuff to get the job done. But he has just eight saves in his career, so does he have the mental fortitude to be in that spot over and over again?

Also, the same control issues that Munoz falls victim too also can hurt Brash. He has five walks in 16 innings this season, and he's also hit two, meaning that he's good for a free baserunner nearly once every two innings.

He also has only 14 strikeouts in 16 innings, meaning that he doesn't have the swing-and-miss ability right now that Munoz does to get out of jams, especially if he's the one creating them.

Acquired from the Washington Nationals this offseason, Ferrer has been excellent, going 1-0 with a 1.55 ERA so far in 32 games. He already has three saves and he had 11 with the Nationals last season.

He can do the job, though righties are hitting .278 off him and lefties are hitting .254. If the M's went this route, they'd lose the ability to have two high-leverage lefties earlier in the game, leaving just Gabe Speier in that role.

For anyone who wants to remove Munoz from the closer's role, just know this: There is no such thing as "zero leverage" for him. If he pitches, it's going to be in a situation that matters. He'll have to figure out his mechanics - and his confidence - somewhere where the game might hang in the balance.

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